New England
New England, name applied to the region comprising six states of the Northeast United States, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The region is thought to have been so named by Capt. John Smith because of its resemblance to the English coast (another source has it that Prince Charles, afterward King Charles I, inserted the name on Smith's map of the country). History New England is the oldest clearly defined region of the United States, and it predates the American Revolution by more than 150 years. The English Pilgrims were Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England who established Plymouth Colony in 1620, the first colony in New England and second in America. A large influx of Puritans populated the greater region during the Puritan migration to New England (1620–1640), largely in the Boston and Salem area. Farming, fishing, and lumbering prospered, as did whaling and sea trading. Topography Topographically it is partly delineated from the rest of the nation by the Appalachian Mountains on the west. The Green Mountains, and the White Mountains, and the Berkshire Hills the land slopes gradually toward the Atlantic Ocean. Many short, swift rivers furnish water power. The Connecticut River is the region's longest river. Massachusetts Massachusetts, a state of the northeast United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies, it was the site of the first successful English settlement in New England when the Pilgrims of the Mayflower founded Plymouth in 1620. Governed by the Massachusetts Bay Company from 1629 until 1684, the colony was a leader in the movement for independence from Great Britain and the site of the first battles of the Revolutionary War in 1775. Massachusetts ratified the United States Constitution in 1788. Boston is the capital and the largest city. Native Americans Archeologists have discovered that the first people to inhabit Massachusetts arrived over 10,000 years ago. These Paleo-Indians are the ancestors of the Native Americans of today. They lived in small nomadic bands that followed herds of large animals. The Paleo-Indian period was followed by the Archaic period and the Woodland period. During the Archaic and Woodland periods, Native Americans shifted from hunting large game to hunting smaller game, increasing their dependence on fishing and eventually learning to cultivate corn, beans, and squash. The natives of this period invented useful tools and devices, such as ceramics, canoes, textiles, baskets, and wigwams, and developed a social system based on close ties between religion, family, clan, and nature. By the time of early European colonization attempts, there were over 30,000 Native Americans in Massachusetts living amongst a variety of tribes belonging to the Algonquin language group. Some of the most well-known tribes were the Wampanoag, Bloodface, Red Geese, Pennacook, Mahican, Pocumtuck, Nipmuck, and the Massachusett (for whom the state was named). Unfortunately, the Europeans would bring with them diseases for which the Native Americans had no immunity against, resulting in large, deadly epidemics. The first such epidemic hit the coastal region of Massachusetts between 1616 and 1617. The Native population continued to suffer from disease and warfare throughout the remainder of the 17th century. Nearly ninety percent of the Native population was killed during this period. Early Exploration of Massachusetts The first documented exploration of Massachusetts was conducted by John Cabot. In 1497 and 1498, Cabot sailed through Massachusetts's waters in search of a route to Asia. Before Cabot's exploration, a legend tells of Leif Ericson and other Norse explorers reaching the area in the year 1000, but there is no documented proof to support such tales. After Cabot's voyage, other explorers passed through in search of a passage to the east. In 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold explored the Massachusetts coastline and named Cape Cod after the plethora of fish that schooled there. In 1614, John Smith traveled through the area and wrote A Description of New England, in which he mused over the beautiful coastline. Smith's work, augmented by William Wood's New England Prospect, helped stir colonization interests in England. Cities in Massachusetts *Boston **Worcester **Springfield **Lowell **Cambridge **New Bedford **Brockton **Quincy **Lynn **Fall River Franklin County, Massachusetts Franklin County colloquially Wachoosic County is a non-governmental county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 71,372, which makes it the least-populous county on the Massachusetts mainland, and the third-least populous county in the state. Its traditional county seat and most populous city are Greenfield. Its largest town by area in New Salem. Places in Franklin County *Walton's Rock Gap *Black Creek Lake *'Eddington' *Carthersburg *Rockhampton Asylum *'Eastbury' *Whitsford *North Haven *Whalenstown *Berkshire Lot *Witbeysville *Deeretown *Jefreysboro *Keenes Category:Locations